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With no end in sight to the partial government shutdown, and the possibility that 800,000 federal workers will miss another paycheck at the end of this week, the Trump Administration reported Monday that ‘unscheduled absences’ by TSA airport screeners hit 10 percent on Sunday, with that number jumping over the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend, as security screeners continue to work without pay because of a battle between the President and Democrats in Congress over funding for a border wall. “TSA experienced a national rate of 10 percent of unscheduled absences compared to a 3.1 percent rate one year ago on the same weekday,” the Transportation Security Administration reported, again using the same language in a daily news release that “many employees are reporting that they are not able to report to work due to financial limitations.” The number of absent screeners had held around 6 percent much of last week, but the TSA reported the number of screeners not showing up for work as planned hit 7 percent on Friday, 8 percent on Saturday, and then 10 percent on Sunday. . @TSA says that 10 percent of its workforce had an 'unscheduled absence' Sunday, compared to just 3.1 percent on the same day last year; that means more than 3,000 TSA agents called off #GovernmentShutdown — Gabe Gutierrez (@gabegutierrez) January 21, 2019 The TSA said in a news release that ‘99.9 percent of passengers waited less than 30 minutes’ to go through airport screening on Sunday. But on Saturday, excessive sick calls by TSA airport screeners forced officials at Baltimore-Washington International Airport to use emergency plans to deal with the lack of airport screeners, closing a major security checkpoint early at the airport. That major checkpoint for Southwest Airlines flights wasn’t closed for just a few hours – but remained shut down on Sunday and Monday as well, because of a lack of security screeners. “It is important to clarify that it is not unusual for TSA and BWI Marshall to open or close one of our security checkpoints,” the airport said in a written statement. “This will have minimal, if any, impact on passengers and no impact on airport operations,” the BWI statement read. . @TSA in collaboration with airport authorities &amp; servicing airlines will be exercising a contingency plan at @BWI_Airport due to excessive callouts. Checkpoint A will be closing at 5:35pm. Passengers should arrive early for evening flights. Contact airport &amp; airlines for updates — TSA (@TSA) January 19, 2019 Earlier this month, press reports of airport screeners calling in sick because of the government shutdown – and the lack of pay for screeners – was denounced as ‘fake news’ by a top Department of Homeland Security spokesman, as well as the White House. Like other federal workers, TSA screeners have been coming to work since the partial government shutdown started on December 22; they were paid as scheduled on December 29, but missed a check on January 11, and a second check may not be paid on January 25.

A 9-year-old boy driving an all-terrain vehicle crashed over the weekend, killing a 58-year-old passenger in Osceola County, the Florida Highway Patrol said. >> Read more trending news Troopers said the boy was trying to avoid another ATV Saturday on 8 Mile Ranch Road when the vehicle he was operating hit a brim and overturned onto Laura Bizzell, of Avon Park. The boy suffered minor injuries, but Bizzell died, according to the FHP. The other ATV driver, Samuel Christmas, 53, suffered minor injuries. Authorities continue to investigate the incident.

Two people were injured Sunday night after a police car struck them as they lay in a Florida roadway, apparently to watch the lunar eclipse, according to multiple reports. >> Read more trending news The incident happened just before midnight Sunday near the Apoxee Trail, a 2.5-mile nature trail in West Palm Beach, according to WPBF and city officials. A police officer was patrolling the trail Sunday in a Ford Explorer when he struck a man and a woman, both 24, while traveling 5 mph, WPEC and WPBF reported. At the time, the area was extremely dark, according to officials. Police told WPBF that investigators believe the pair was lying in the road to photograph and watch the super blood wolf moon lunar eclipse. They were taken to a hospital with injuries that did not appear to be life-threatening, according to the news station. The officer who struck the pair, who was not identified, was placed on paid administrative leave as police investigate the incident, WPEC reported. Authorities continue to investigate.

Speaking at a commemoration of what would have been her father’s 90th birthday, Rev. Dr. Bernice King criticized the Trump administration Monday for misquoting her father’s works “to suit our own purposes.” >> Read more trending news King’s remarks were aimed at Trump’s border wall push and comments by Vice President Mike Pence, who during an appearance on CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday, said: “One of my favorite quotes from Dr. King was ‘Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy.” “You think of how he changed America. He inspired us to change through the legislative process to become a more perfect union,” Pence said on the show. “That’s exactly what President Trump is calling on the Congress to do. Come to the table in the spirit of good faith. We’ll secure our border, we’ll reopen the government and we’ll move our nation forward.” >> Reflecting on MLK: 'The baddest brother of the 20th century' On Monday, during remarks at the annual Martin Luther King Jr. commemorative service at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Bernice King said: “If we really want to make real the promises of democracy, now is the time on this King holiday to stop quoting King out of context and misquoting him to suit our own purposes.” The Ebenezer audience applauded warmly. Bernice King also called for action on problems facing the country, ranging from the partial government shutdown affecting federal workers’ livelihood to the resurgence of white supremacist ideologies and voter access problems. “We are in a state emergency because of our humanitarian crises, and it’s not at our southern border,” she said. “The concern for human welfare is being threatened.” “When prejudice and bigotry are emboldened…. when schools continue to be unsafe spaces because of impotent gun control laws…. this is a humanitarian crisis and we are in a state of emergency,” King said. >> Delta contributes grant funding to re-open MLK national park During remarks at the service, U.S. Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., called for reflection on King’s words, saying: “He often reminded us that what united us is far greater than what divides us.” The service came on the holiday weekend when the Martin Luther Jr. National Historical Park reopened to visitors after a closure due to the partial federal shutdown. The reopening was funded with the help of a $83,500 grant from Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines. Reopened for Martin Luther King Jr. weekend through the Super Bowl on Feb. 3, are the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church where King was co-pastor, the home where Martin Luther King Jr. was born, the park’s visitor center and historic Fire Station No. 6. “We ought to be concerned that the cradle of the civil rights movement is also the capital of income inequality in this country today,” said Rev. Raphael Warnock, senior pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church.

A man was hospitalized Sunday after a police chase ended with him jumping off an overpass, according to officials. >> Read more trending news The incident started around 5 p.m. Sunday near 176th Street and Canyon Road in Spanaway when Pierce County deputies tried to stop a car that they say was being driven recklessly. Officials said the driver fled and police began a pursuit. During that time, the driver hit at least one vehicle, authorities said. The chase continued in the eastbound lanes of State Route 512 and onto the northbound lanes of State Route 167, where authorities said the suspect got caught up in traffic. Officials said the driver struck cars on an overpass. His car became so damaged it would no longer run, so he got out of the vehicle and jumped off the overpass, authorities said. Police said the driver fell at least 75 feet to the brush-covered ground below, near Valley Avenue East. Officials found him with multiple broken bones and a collapsed lung. He was taken to St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma, where he underwent surgery, authorities said. The other people whose cars were hit suffered minor injuries, according to officials. Authorities said the suspect will face charges including eluding authorities and eight counts of hit-and-run. ﻿The Cox Media Group National Content Desk contributed to this report.

Kavanaugh won’t withdraw as judge heads for Thursday showdown hearing

Posted: 9:00 pm Monday, September 24th, 2018

By Jamie Dupree

Defiantly denouncing new allegations of sexual misconduct leveled against him as a political ‘smear,’ Judge Brett Kavanaugh went on a media offensive on Monday to tell Senators and the nation that he will not withdraw from consideration for the U.S. Supreme Court, as Kavanaugh heads for a historic hearing on Thursday, which draws obvious parallels to the Clarence Thomas-Anita Hill Supreme Court sexual harassment showdown in 1991.

“I will not be intimidated into withdrawing from this process,” Kavanaugh wrote in a Monday letter, as he said the latest charges against him “are smears, pure and simple.”

“There is now a frenzy to come up with something — anything — that will block this process and a vote on my confirmation from occurring,” Kavanaugh added, as it was not clear where the votes stood on his nomination with a small group of Republican Senators.

Here’s the latest on a number of fronts in the Kavanaugh confirmation battle:

1. Kavanaugh-Ford brings back clear memories of Thomas-Hill. Whether you believe the judge or his accuser, these past few days have been much like what I covered in 1991, when the confirmation of Clarence Thomas went off the rails because of the accusations of sexual harassment leveled by law professor Anita Hill. Their testimony in a special round of hearings riveted Senators – and the nation – as Thomas was narrowly confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court by the Senate on a vote of 52-48. I kept my reporter’s notebook from that second round of Thomas hearings because I instinctively knew how important a moment it was. 27 years later, it feels like I am covering the same kind of political battle. I went back into my notes to see what I could find. One thing that stands out is both Thomas and Hill told forceful stories. Both were believable. But both couldn’t be telling the truth at the same time. We may be on the verge of a similar situation with Judge Kavanaugh and Dr. Ford.

2. Kavanaugh standing firm on his nomination. When Monday began, some on Capitol Hill wondered if Kavanaugh would throw in the towel – but there was no indication that would happen, as his letter demonstrated. “The coordinated effort to destroy my good name will not drive me out. The vile threats of violence against my family will not drive me out. The last minute character assassination will not succeed,” Kavanaugh wrote. On Monday night, Kavanaugh and his wife went on Fox News on Monday evening to make their case in an unusual forum for a Supreme Court nominee. “I’m not going anywhere,” the judge said in the interview.

Brett Kavanaugh: "I think all of us have probably done things we look back on in high school and regret or cringe a bit, but that's not what we're talking about. We're talking about an allegation of sexual assault. I've never sexually assaulted anyone." https://t.co/HvY7xtcpV3pic.twitter.com/TmsjBFnYO7

3. GOP leaders standing by Kavanaugh as well. It was obvious from the words of the Senate Majority Leader on Monday afternoon that GOP leaders were sticking with Kavanaugh, as Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) denounced Democratic attacks on the judge, and vowed that the Senate would vote on Kavanaugh’s nomination. “This is what the so-called ‘Resistance’ has become. A smear campaign, pure and simple,” McConnell said on the Senate floor, in one of the most forceful tones reporters could recall from the Majority Leader. One note about his vow for a vote – note that McConnell did not say Kavanaugh would win. While GOP leaders stand with him, his future rests with a small group of Republicans in the Senate. Their votes probably depend on how the testimony goes in Thursday’s hearing.

.@SenateMajLdr Mitch McConnell: "Judge #Kavanaugh will be voted on here on the Senate floor, up or down, on the Senate floor. This fine nominee to the Supreme Court will receive a vote in this Senate in the near future." #SCOTUS

4. “PS: I look forward to your testimony.” While Kavanaugh can do interviews, and GOP Senators can make floor speeches, much of what happens in the hearing this Thursday is probably going to be the make-or-break for President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee. We all have seen Kavanaugh before Senators – but no one has seen or heard Dr. Christine Blasey Ford. This is no ordinary setting. Anita Hill was stoic and composed in 1991. Ford could be the same. How she tells her story – and how she interacts with Senators will be very important, as both sides wait to see what develops later this week. The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA) added this extra greeting to a letter sent to Ford on Monday.

5. This is not just a regular DC story; it’s a real DC story. While many people might dismiss this nomination fight as a classic partisan battle on Capitol Hill, what makes it somewhat different is the fact that Kavanaugh is a local who grew up in the Washington suburbs, and is part of a web of different social groups in the area. For example, I know people who went to school with, and partied with Kavanaugh. I know some who were friends with the Blasey family, others who know Kavanaugh from the CYO girls basketball league where he coaches, people from his Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church right at the D.C.-Maryland line, and from his country clubs. For some of them, this is a disturbing story on multiple levels, as this is not just a political fight about some big-named nominee. Instead, this is a political fight about someone they know personally. And as you can see from this letter, from some of Kavanaugh’s high school classmates, and the following tweet from one his fellow parishioners, it’s stirred both sides.

As parishioner of Blessed Sacrament in DC I’m disgusted by the using of children to support a political stunt. @BrettKavanaugh is a perjurer, an obfuscator, with shady financials and using your daughters, of all people, to prop him up turns my stomach #blessedsacramentdc

6. Echoes of another controversial investigation. When top White House aide Kellyanne Conway went on CBS Monday morning to defend Judge Kavanaugh, she riffed on a famous line from Hillary Clinton and Democrats during the Whitewater-Monica Lewinsky investigation, which Clinton labeled a ‘vast right-wing conspiracy.’ Now, Conway says there is a ‘vast left-wing conspiracy’ which is trying to take out Judge Kavanaugh. The irony of that line is even more obvious when you remember that Kavanaugh was one of the prosecutors on the team of Independent Counsel Ken Starr, and that Kavanaugh was fully prepared to ask President Bill Clinton all sorts of very specific questions about his relationship – and relations – with Lewinsky. In an interview with Stephen Colbert, Hillary Clinton was asked if she had any sympathy for Kavanaugh. “No, I have no sympathy,” she answered.

7. How soon could Kavanaugh be on the Supreme Court? One thing to remember from 1991 is that even with the spectacle of the second round of hearings, Clarence Thomas was ultimately approved by the Senate. The same thing could well happen with the Kavanaugh nomination. If Republicans want to press ahead immediately, they could hold the Thursday hearing, have the Judiciary Committee vote on Friday, bring up the nomination on the Senate floor Saturday, vote on a motion to shut off debate on Monday, and then have a final vote on Tuesday, October 2. As long as Republicans have the votes, there is nothing Democrats can do under the Senate rules to stop Kavanaugh – their only option to stop is to have a majority against him. But before we get to that point, there are some Republicans and Democrats in the Senate who will be in the spotlight.

Susan Collins tells @tedbarrettcnn she’s going to wait to make a decision on Kavanaugh until after Thursday hearing. “I believe that the committee investigators should reach out to Deborah Ramirez in order to question her under oath about what she is alleging happened,” she added